The biggest Scam is the massive non conforming concrete Hudson street parking structure planned right across the street from that historic church ; who did little to stop this assault of that neighborhood.Reap what yee shall sow from these out of town developers ..they will be the first ones getting out of
ridgewood with the loot ,leaving taxpayers with the massive liability for Schools , Services and more town employees with pensions ! to service more apartments and children with multi family
developments.Just wait..

Monroe Twp NJ, On October 17, the forces of development gathered in New Jersey, the 2018 the New Jersey Apartment Association Political Action Committee (NJAA PAC) hosted 45 legislators at its annual PAC Reception in West Orange.

The largest reception of its kind for the multifamily (apartment) industry in New Jersey, legislators traveled from across the state to join over 155 NJAA members. During the reception, industry leaders had the opportunity to discuss the positive impact the multifamily industry has both on New Jersey’s economy as well as the overall quality of life for the one million New Jersey residents that call apartment living home.

Overall the council has been a disappointment ,carrying more water for the developers
and businesses with own agendas that are being served with a first priority at our public taxpayers expense . Seems when something routine gets completed its like a miracle has shown itself from the heavens .We expected better VC.Time to strap in for a real mess over next 2 to 3 years as they tear the roads and streets apart to raise their supporters bar –
on over development of Rental housing developments and raised parking structure projects .Just wait until you see the traffic and the impact to the town we know so well.

I grew up in Ridgewood during the 40s, 50s, and early 60s. Ridgewood is an entirely different town now. I feel sad about the changes. When my generation passes on, no one will be left who remembers what it was like. Some of the comments replying to this post clearly reflect what Ridgewood has become.
I think that entire part of the country has been ruined both by developers and by the ever expanding levels of government required to manage the tangled mess they create and leave behind.. There is no going back to the standards and values of a bygone era. My Dad used to say we lived there at the last good time. From what I have seen firsthand and from what I have read on this blog, I think he was right.
Those who can do so are leaving New Jersey; it is not hard to see why. It is The Garden State no more.

How can anybody feel betrayed by Hache? He is realtor for God’s sake. Why would he care about your quality of life? I never expected much from him even though I gave him my vote. But it’s not only him. I’ve heard so many stories about VC from other towns across NJ. NOBODY cares about current residents. It is all about outsiders be it developers or businesses or low income families. NJ is a state of crooks where you can be bought and sold for very little. Honesty and decency are foreign terms. You have no say over the place you live, you’re a stranger in your own village/town. If you try to protect your way of life you’re biased and racist. The worst is that everybody is scared to stand up to these allegations. I would like to stand up to Antine and tell her in the face that “yes, I am against Newark kids coming to play in Ridgewood because before we provide for outsiders we need to take care of our kids first so shut the hell up and get lost. You stink of hypocrisy” but can’t do it because I know I will be crucified and the first to condemn me would be my own VC members let alone the majority of hypocrite lefties that are swarming everywhere. Until I can afford moving I will just shut my mouth and try clear my mind of this ugliness.

There is a very good reason why the prior Village Council sided with the developers.because they had no other choice. The NJ Supreme Court ruled several years ago that EVERY city, town and village in the State of New Jersey has a definitive obligation to provide a quotent of Affordable Housing in thier community. EVERY municipality was assigned a quota they had to meet based on their population. It was fought long and hard by virtually every town but the court ruling prevailed and it still stands today. The Village of Ridgewood was assigned a quota and the Village must comply. The choice all towns face is either to allow some new development and require the developers to “set aside” a percentage of their units for Affordable Housing or the town must provide it themself. In exchange for granting permission to build new units Ridgewood wisely decided to put the burden of complying with the court mandate onto the developers.. The result is a somewhat less quaint Village and one with fewer trees and more concrete but in the end it will avoid the need for the Village to provide the required Affordable Housing and in so doing it will save the residents a ton of money. Frankly, since the new developments are all located in the downtown area the streetscape for the vast majority of residents will remain wholly unchanged. In conclusion don’t blame the Village of Ridgewood for allowing the new developments because it was forced upon the Village.by the courts..

Lawyers argued Monday over whether a former state judge who handled affordable housing cases should have at least one of his rulings overturned because of his relationship with a developer.

In Trenton, a lawyer for South Brunswick Township squared off against a half-dozen others representing developers and affordable-housing advocates. The township is seeking to have affordable housing rulings made by now-retired Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Douglas Wolfson vacated because of what it alleges is the appearance of a conflict of interest: Wolfson’s acceptance of vacations from, and current representation of, Edgewood Properties.

While on the bench, Wolfson handled litigation involving the township, but not Edgewood Properties, according to documents. And Wolfson recused from cases that came before him involving Edgewood.

Nevertheless, Wolfson for years has had personal and professional ties to Edgewood, and South Brunswick claims Wolfson’s decisions in other affordable housing cases could work in favor of Edgewood or its primary owner, Jack Morris, even though he has no projects pending in the township.

you are wrong and you bought into the fake arguments raised by Arohson, Pucciarli and the developers. Yes, we have requirements, but no, we did not need to line Saraceno’s and the other developer’s pockets in order to address these issues.

We were sold up the river, pure and simple, by a mean spirited and self-serving duo of public officials – – remember, they voted to make these projects the law as they were leaving office. They are carpetbaggers who have no place in our Village life.

We have now entered a new phase for life in Ridgewood thanks to the duplicitous duo. And we need to be ready for it. We are now going to much more like New Brunswick than a Ho-Ho-Kus or Glen Rock. We need to work hard to maintain the value of our properties, our schools and other public services as we deal with an influx of people that will totally drain our infrastructure.

Regrettably, it is not clear what the “new” council is doing to address and deal with the issues that lay ahead. Attention must now be focused on bringing them into focus, but as others on this thread have said, that ain’t going to happen if we all stay home and silent..

“While I know this is Somerset, it is obvious that with the exception of District 39 and District 40 leadership, the crickets from District 36, District 37 and District 38 are becoming more incessant. When will the leadership of NJ Legislature stop playing this “partisan card”? “, Edward Durfee

Affordable housing mandate threatens quality of life, mayor says

Updated on June 20, 2017 at 3:31 PMPosted on June 20, 2017 at 3:30 PM

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

MONTGOMERY TWP. – Mayor Ed Trzaska is concerned that a potential court mandate requiring the township meet an affordable housing unit quota will put an overwhelming burden on the municipality and negatively effect the quality of life.

At issue is a state Supreme Court ruling in March of 2015 that opened the door for municipalities to be sued for not providing a “fair share” of affordable housing units. The ruling also allows a municipality to demonstrate in court that it has met the requirement to provide affordable housing.

The township, which has a population of some 23,000, has been in the forefront of providing affordable housing units, said Trzaska. Currently, he said the township has 300 affordable housing units, of which more than one-fourth are vacant.

Under a possible court ruling by the Fair Share Housing Counsel, the township could be forced to build between 501 and 1,000 additional affordable housing units, as well as 4,000 market-rate units, said Trzaska. The township has yet to be given the exact number of affordable units it must build, he said.

The facts support the claim CRAB did target Ridgewood for “disruption”:
CRAB’s own meeting minutes going back to February of 2017 reflect the plan to ask the village to fly the flag in a public space, not over village hall.

CRAB then deviated from that to ask the village to fly the flag at village hall, a request they did not make of Glen Rock.
The village, rightly, raised concerns about flying the flag at village hall.

CRAB’s Jan Phillips, Janice Willet, and their supporters, including Voigt, then used that concern to label the mayor and deputy mayor as intolerant bigots. OPRA requests reveal Voigt ignoring and lying about an email on 5/4 from the mayor about flying the flag at Van Neste.

Facebook posts from Jan Phillips show she and her supporters knowingly took the mayor’s comments about flying the flag at village hall out of context in an effort to smear her. When called out that they had done so, they did not apologize or retract.

While the mayor and deputy mayor are clumsy communicators who have been their own worst enemy more times than not, they have been the target of Aronsohn and his library/garage/high-density crowd on this matter.